They're Gone :(

I dropped Mom and Dad off at the airport this morning (Brother, Sister and Friend left last week).  The house seems very quiet now and the dogs were very distraught last night as Mom and Dad packed their bags (dogs always get upset at the sight of suitcases...they equate them with my leaving).  It wasn't always easy managing 5 visitors but it was great having them here and I hope they had a good time.  I am severely short on sleep and so I'm headed to bed but hopefully I'll get some pictures posted this weekend.

Love and miss you guys!!

They're Here!!

At the Grand Palace in Brussels

Step 4: Don't Throw Up

 I can proudly say, "Yes, I am!"

Our entire team successfully completed the Tough Mudder!!  

12 miles...28 obstacles (28 "official" obstacles...there were lots of "natural" obstacles along the way as well)...no serious injuries.  Quite a successful day out :)

These were the instructions given for the event:

Step 1) Bring Your Signed Death Waiver

Step 2) Pick up Your Participant Packet

Step 3) Get your Face Marked

Step 4) Don’t Throw Up


All went perfectly until I got back home Sunday evening.  As soon as I got in my door the waves of nausea washed over me.  I spent the night emptying my digestive system.  Was it an electrolyte imbalance as a result of 4 hours of grueling activity involving almost no food or water?  Possibly.  Was it something I ate on the trip home? Possibly.  Was it the manure-and-who-knows-what-filled water that thousands of participants made their way through that I inadvertently swallowed several times?  Possibly...probably.

So I spent yesterday sleeping off the night of purging.  Tomorrow I pick up the rental van and make my way back to Brussels to pick up the family Thursday morning.  I promise I'll post pictures from the event as soon as I have time.  Of course, I'll also post pictures of the family visit.

I'm Ready

Tough Mudder is a week from today.  I don't really feel ready to drag my arse over a 12 mile obstacle course. I'm not sure one can really ever feel ready for such a thing. But I am ready for it to be over! I'm ready to have the freedom to relax on weekends or perhaps go see some European sights via one of the ridiculously cheap airlines here rather than planning 3-hour workouts. Instead of curling up on the couch with a book watching the rain outside, today we're going to do an obstacle course in the trees; or some such nonsense.  I'm ready to go to bed without bathing in Ben Gay first. I'm ready to wake up without new aches and pains every day. I feel like an 80 year old! I'm ready to be done!!  

Who Are You?

According to blogger.com, 10 people looked at this page yesterday (which is honestly more than I thought looked at it in a week!).  4 from the Netherlands, 3 from Russia and 3 from the US.  I'd like to know who you are...especially those people from far-flung places!  Who are you? How did you find me?  Where are you from?  I'd love to know!!

Prim

My friend from Norway brought me another edible delight back from her recent visit home.  It's basically a spreadable version of the Norwegian brown cheese she brought last time. But they add more cream to make it spreadable and more cream means more lactose (milk sugar) to turn into caramel as it cooks.  So it's a creamy, caramel-y, salty spread and it's very tasty.  It's the same dull brownish color of the sliced cheese which I must say, doesn't look all that appetizing but honestly, I could eat it with a spoon!  In fact, I have eaten some it with a spoon!

 

 

MMMMMMMmmmmmmmmm!!!